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THE ROACH book review

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  THE ROACH by Rhett C. Bruno A string of killings. An identity stolen. Only he can find the truth. Reese Roberts was the guardian of Iron City. It’s fearless protector. The only one willing to do whatever it takes… until he was shot on the streets and left paralyzed from the waist down. Now, the vigilante known as the Roach has disappeared. Faded into legend. It’s been years since Reese could take on crime and clean up the streets. He’s a shriveled old drunk, living like a hermit and waiting for his life to end. All that’s left to do is wallow in the mistakes that led him here. To wonder, if he went too far. But when a copycat steals his suit and takes justice into his own hands, a new killer emerges, leaving brutal messages behind. He wants to eliminate the Roach for good this time. It’s time for Reese to reemerge from his shell and fight back. Who else can stop the flurry of killings? Definitely not the corrupt police department. Iron City needs the Roach again. Only, this time, he’

COURTING CAN BE KILLER book review

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  COURTING CAN BE KILLER by Amanda Flower In the second Amish Matchmaker Mystery by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower, Millie Fisher has plenty to keep her busy through her golden years, whether it's minding a pair of rambunctious goats, meetings with her quilting circle, and matchmaking. But the witty widow always makes time to solve the odd murder... Some Amish men don't know what's good for them. That's what Millie Fisher told herself when young Ben Baughman set his heart on marrying Tess Lieb. With Tess's father refusing to give his blessing and Tess's ex-boyfriend being a wet blanket, the hapless couple was bound to butt heads more than Millie's Boer goats. But when Ben tragically dies in a mysterious fire, Millie wonders if someone in her hometown of Harvest, Ohio, wanted Ben out of the wedding picture altogether... With the help of her quilting buddies, and her outspoken Englischer friend Lois, Millie is determined to patch together all the c

TWO REASONS TO RUN book review

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  TWO REASONS TO RUN by Colleen Coble Gripping romantic suspense from  USA TODAY  bestselling author Colleen Coble.   A lie changed her world. Police Chief Jane Hardy is still reeling from the scandal that rocked her small-town department just as she took over for her retired father—the man who wrecked her life with one little lie. Now she’s finally been reunited with her presumed-dead fifteen-year-old son, Will, and his father, documentarian Reid Bechtol.  A crisis looms.   When a murder aboard the oil platform  Zeus  exposes an environmental terrorist’s plot to flood Mobile Bay with crude oil, Jane and Reid must put their feelings for each other behind them and work together to prevent the rig from being sabotaged.   A killer targets her son.   Then the terrorist puts her son Will’s life on the line. Protecting him could be the common ground they need . . . but then ghosts from the past threaten to ruin Jane and Reid for good.   She’s got plenty of reasons to run. But what if she sta

THE NESTING book review

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  The Nesting by C.J. Cooke The woods are creeping in on a nanny and two young girls in this chilling modern Gothic thriller. Architect Tom Faraday is determined to finish the high-concept, environmentally friendly home he's building in Norway – in the same place where he lost his wife, Aurelia, to suicide. It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it. Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia's diary appears in Lexi's room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady… Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn't kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them. MY REVIEW: 5 Stars: 5/5  Rating Whew!  What a great book. This combines a bit of fantasy with the supernatural

THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS book review

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  The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult From the #1  New York Times  bestselling author of  Small Great Things  and  A Spark of Light  comes a riveting novel about the choices that change the course of our lives. Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She's on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong. Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for patients in hospice. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to a

A SPRINGTIME HEART book review

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  A Springtime Heart (THE PROMISE GLEN #2) by Marta Perry A second chance at love blooms in the quaint Amish community of Promise Glen, from national bestselling author Marta Perry. Dorcas Beiler's reckless teenage years are far behind her. She's serious and responsible now, and the good people of Promise Glen trust her with the education of their children. But when her first love returns after years of exile from the community, her past comes rushing back. Thomas is the only one who knows her secret, and despite his careless charm and teasing manner, she refuses to let her guard down. Thomas Fisher has plans. Plans to start a construction company and prove himself a success to all those who doubted him, and plans to find the woman he left behind. His chance comes when he lands the opportunity to rebuild the stable and shed at the community school. He won't be paid for his time, but he'll be able to showcase his abilities...and spend time with Dorcas.   Scenting love in

THE NIDDERDALE MURDERS book review

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The Nidderdale Murders by J.R. Ellis book description: In a Yorkshire Dales village everyone has a motive for murder—except the killer. A retired judge is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun inn in the remote Yorkshire village of Niddersgill. There’s a witness who saw everything, and the gunman’s on the run; the case should be open-and-shut for DCI Jim Oldroyd. But the murderer had no motive for wanting Sandy Fraser dead and, what’s more, no trace of him can be found. As Oldroyd and his team cast the net wider, they discover that Fraser wasn’t without enemies in Niddersgill. As the wealthy owner of a grouse moor, he’d clashed with farmers, debtors, hunt saboteurs and blackmailers. But none of them were at the scene of the murder. And when a local shopkeeper is gunned down in a second senseless attack, it’s clear that these killings are anything but random. Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, Oldroyd faces a race against time to connect the crimes and find who’s behi

Candy Cane Crime book review

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  Candy Cane Crime                           by Amanda Flower Book Description: A candy-striped caper . . . Christmas is coming all too quickly for Harvest, Ohio’s famous chocolatier, Bailey King. Thanks to her new cable TV show, her shop has more candy orders than she can handle this holiday season. Fortunately, her beloved Cousin Charlotte is happy to take the Candy Cane Exchange off Bailey’s to-do list. After all, Charlotte has come to Harvest from her conservative home district to find her future outside of her family’s influence. What better way than by taking on the Englisch task of pairing the sweet notes everyone is exchanging with a peppermint treat, just in time for Christmas Eve delivery? But when Charlotte discovers some of those delicious missives are for her, suddenly she’s staking out the festive postbox, hoping to catch her secret admirer in his intriguing tracks . . . When Charlotte sees something underhanded going on beneath the merrymaking, she enlists the help of Sh

DEAD END DETECTIVE book review

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  Dead End Detective  by Amanda Flower They were the Two Girls Detective Agency. Now, one of them is dead, and the other is suspected of murder. Darby Piper is in shock. Samantha Porter—her mentor and business partner at Two Girls Detective Agency—has died in a car crash, and it doesn’t look like an accident. In fact, evidence is pointing toward Darby. Darby had expected to inherit Samantha’s half of the agency, but Samantha had recently changed the will to leave it to Tate Porter, her nephew, who returns to town. Tate is no P.I. He’s a veteran, a world traveler, and something of a mystery himself. But as he helps Darby delve into secret histories and real estate development plans, he does seem to have a knack for the job. Will the agency have a future…even if Darby can prove her innocence in time? MY REVIEW:   5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating This is my new favorite novel by Amanda Flower!!!!  I love the introduction of new characters.   I especially love reading a mystery that I am unable to

HIS PRETEND AMISH BRIDE book review

In a small Amish town like picturesque Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one solution to an indiscretion is to make a good marriage. Or perhaps, fake a respectable engagement . . .   Priscilla Ebersol has a fulfilling life teaching special needs children—until her boyfriend’s humiliating betrayal ruins her reputation and threatens her job. Ostracized for something she didn’t do, Priscilla throws herself into a project on the benefits of camel’s milk for autism. Her research leads her to a fledgling local camel farm, where she discovers far more than she bargained for . . .   When a pushy  Englisch  company shows interest in shy, handsome Gabriel Kauffman’s camel farm, he struggles to get out of a sticky negotiation. Lovely, well-spoken Priscilla appears at the perfect moment, and defends Gabe’s business so well that she is mistaken for his wife. It’s a ruse the two quietly continue, all the while secretly wishing it could be true. But though their bond deepens, Priscilla’s heart is still wounde

MUMS and MAYHEM book review

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  MUMS and MAYHEM by Amanda Flower A famous fiddler has been kilt. A magic garden's left to wilt. Does Fiona Knox's father hold the guilt? Will florist Fiona's blood be spilt? World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop, is starting to regret volunteering to help with the concert. Bernice is an exacting taskmaster, and Fiona has enough tension dealing with her parents, who have traveled from Tennessee to visit Fi and her younger sister, Isla, and to reveal a secre t about Fi's birth. But when Barley is found dead in his trailer during the concert's intermission, and his death is shockingly tied to Fiona's father, Fiona discovers there are more secrets surrounding her family than she realized. Much to the chagrin of handsome Neil Craig, Chief Inspector of the County Aberdeen Police, Fiona delve

THE GREEN DRESS book review

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The Green Dress  by Liz Tolsma Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History True, riveting stories of American criminal activity are explored through a unique stories of historical romantic suspense. Collect them all and be inspired by the hope that always finds its way even in the darkest of times. When Harriet Peters came to Boston in 1882, the Robinson family took her in like one of their own, and Harriet became closer to Lizzie Robinson than her own siblings. Now, four years later, Lizzie is deathly sick, failing quickly just like several others in her family have done over the past few years. How can so many in one family die from the same mysterious illness? Harriet doesn’t have answers, but she is determined to help the family, bringing in a new-to-the-neighborhood doctor, Michael Wheaton.            As Harriet and Michael close in on the answer, putting their own lives at risk, can the cause be found before anyone else dies? MY BOOK REVIEW: 5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating Sca

DEAD SILENCE book review

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DEAD SILENCE by Robin Caroll Political games can be deadly…   Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who reads lips all the time. As a widow with a young son who is deaf, lip reading is simply second nature, until the day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on a senator’s life—a senator who just happens to be her mother-in-law. Before she can decide what she needs to do, she receives the information that her son is rushed to the ER and she must leave. Then she later sees the news report that her mother-in-law has been shot and killed. But when she comes forward, her life, as well as her son’s life, may now be in the crosshairs of the assassin. MY BOOK REVIEW:   4 Stars:  4/5 Star Rating Scale           This is a good one, folks!   Readers will be enticed into the political world of deceit and of course, there's murder!   Who doesn't love a good murder mystery?  I sure do!  Elise and her young son, Sawyer, who is de

LIZZIE'S HEART book review

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Lizzie's Heart  by Susan Lantz Simpson Fall in Southern Maryland’s Amish country is a time of fiery falling leaves, a bountiful harvest, and bracing, frost-touched days. It’s the perfect season for one irrepressible maidel to try an unexpected match . . . Good-hearted and impulsive, twenty-year-old Lizzie Fisher has many chores—and secrets. She’s caring for kittens abandoned by their mother and practicing her drawing talent away from disapproving eyes. So the last thing she needs is someone like handsome Stephen Zimmerman constantly “helping” her out of trouble. But when she discovers they both have lovelorn siblings, she has an idea: why can’t she and Stephen bring his older brother and her older sister together? After all, how hard could matchmaking be? Even though he’s the youngest son of an Old Order Mennonite family, Stephen is used to looking out for everyone else. Yet somehow the romantic schemes he and Lizzie cook up keep going awry—in ways that hint they may suit each

HIS WIFE'S SISTER book review

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HIS WIFE'S SISTER  by A J Wills He stole her childhood. Now she wants it back. A woman is found wandering through woodland, confused and severely undernourished. Police identify her as Mara Sitwell, who was just eleven years old when she vanished from her home nineteen years earlier. She says she was abducted and held captive in an underground cell for all that time. Her escape seems to prove miracles can happen - but not everyone is convinced. Tortured by guilt, Mara’s sister Lucia insists on taking her in. But Lucia’s husband, Damian is not so sure it’s a good idea. He suspects Mara is hiding a terrible secret – and fears the whole family could be in danger. MY BOOK REVIEW: 5 Stars: 5/5 Star Rating          Well, well, well, Mara is home but something just doesn't seem "right" to her brother-in-law, Damian.  He is determined to find out what is the truth of the matter too.  But Mara isn't talking and he begins to take extreme measures to get her to s

PROMISE AT PEBBLE CREEK book review

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Promise at Pebble Creek (Hope Chest of Dreams #6) by Lisa Jones Baker Amish country girl Hannah Lapp lives for adventure—the kind found in favorite novels and the stories she secretly writes. And at her family’s popular tourist store, she’s fascinated by the different Englischers she meets. Especially when Marcus Jackson comes to town. She’s sure there’s more to the ex-city boy than his quiet, helpful ways, and she’s curious to find out just what it is . . . Marcus fled Chicago before his brothers’ life of crime ruined his future. He’s not sure exactly why God’s plan brought him to this quaint little town. Or why his growing friendship with the bubbly, inquisitive Hannah has him trusting her with his past. But when local stores are robbed and suspicion falls on Marcus, can he and Hannah come together to prove his innocence—and make their own happy-ever-after ending? MY REVIEW: 5 Stars:  5/5 Star Rating: This is one exciting piece of Amish fiction!  It is one you won't